


Better, Now

by Host_of_Heaven



Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Dreams and Nightmares, F/F, Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2020-06-24 01:19:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19713400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Host_of_Heaven/pseuds/Host_of_Heaven
Summary: It's that night on the bridge, again. It feels like it's always storming. But deep down, Violet knows the storm can't last forever. She's learned a lot in recent weeks, and she knows just whom to thank.





	Better, Now

**Author's Note:**

> Mostly Teen-rated content, with some strong language.

It's that night on the bridge, again. It feels ominous. 

She'd spent so much time trying to never mind the darkness. For a time, it was working. For a series of blissful weeks, there appeared to be a bit more light in the world. Less darkness. Less emptiness. 

But then, the storm brewed anew, and the world was all the drearier for it. 

Somehow, after everything, Violet started to lag behind. Clementine and the boys kept inching farther and farther ahead. Violet's calls, and eventually shouts, went unheard, her voice seemingly and increasingly lost in the vast carbon skies. 

Watching them drift away, an old pain came back - a malignance more debilitating than any physical injury. 

It's wore than before, she thought. It had been difficult, before. Painful, even. But now? _This_ was excruciating. And it's not a pain of rejection. It's not a loneliness, exactly. Violet is reminded of that when the ghostly voice catches up with her. She's _not_ alone, as much as she may prefer, in that moment. 

"Never mind the darkness."

Even now, it would be a lie to say that the pitch didn't send a chill down Violet's spine. 

"Never mind the storm."

Violet stood against the oncoming storm, but couldn't vanquish the internal shuddering. Behind the presaging, boiling red eyes, billows of flesh and blood loomed, long-without color or life. 

"Never mind the blood-red moon." 

Inching ever closer, those eyes brought with them a menacing focus. They brought some angle of hopelessness, and a determination, all the same. Violet wasn't even sure which of them was supposed to be the hopeless one. There was just the dread that accompanied that _damn_ song. 

The last line came as Minerva stepped foot onto the bridge, and Clementine stepped out of sight. 

"The night will be over soon."

Minerva surged ahead, staring Violet in the eyes the entire time, looking barely alive. When they were an arm apart, they stared. 

"The feelings... they're so shitty, right Vi?"

At first, Violet didn't have words. She held her breath as the front of the hoard approached, her body heavy. She only half-exhaled as they engulfed and passed them, as if they were nothing. What she knew, at least, was that it was all so damning. 

"What do you want, Minerva?" The name almost sounded foreign, now. As unfamiliar as the face, to match. 

"Still haven't come to your senses?" Despite the lack of vivid facial expression, the inflection in the voice screamed annoyance and contempt. "Bitch has her hooks in deep, doesn't she?"

Violet's fists clench, and she feels a pang of resentment. "You have no idea what the fuck you're talking about. 

"You really think so?" Minerva spit up blood with a powerful hack. "She's been a damn menace. It's _her_ fault Marlon and Mitch are dead."

"Yeah? Because I'm pretty fucking sure you and Lilly were the ones out here, kidnapping and pillaging to your hearts' content."

"The Delta was for followers and survivors, Vi. Above a lot of the shit out in the world. You know, we could have all been a family again, and life could have been easier than ever." Briefly, Minerva sported a nostalgic grin, almost as if she'd actually wanted better times again. Then, her scowl hardened, and she grimaced at the reality.

"But she ruined everything." 

"No! She didn't," Violet exclaimed. Their scowls matched. If you really gave a shit, maybe you'd see that Clem saved our asses. Inspired everyone to fight back, and help ourselves."

"The anger is there, but it's diluted by a pleading remembrance. "She helped us stay the fuck away from all the brainwashing, and kidnapping." Violet looked Minerva over, trying not to ponder anything and everything that might have been, in a world without Clementine. 

Minerva only scoffed. "Don't give me that shit. She got people _killed_. Our old friends are dead. And I've told you, time, and time again - things could have been simple. If you'd all just listened, and obeyed, we could have all been together again, in the Delta. 

Her eyes softened, just the slightest bit, looking to Violet with the least bit of invitation. "Maybe, eventually, we could have worked on _us_ again. Our little secret. 

"Stop." If there'd been any lingering thoughts about how a Minerva-filled future might have been, this latest torrent was quashing whatever was left. "You still don't know what the fuck you're talking about." Although Violet's scowl didn't relent, it bore a tried resolve. Night after night of the same scene, playing like a twisted game, instilled hope, and less uncertainty with each passing wave of darkness. 

"Don't talk to me like you love me. Like we were ever good for each other." The scowl remained, but Violet's thoughts were are progressively a brighter, less lonely arena. 

"Oh, and she does?!" Minerva shouts. 

"Yes!" Violet bites back. "Sure, I overthink things every now-and-then. And sure, sometimes, I do question the shit we've all been through."

On instinct, Violet is braced - her slouch recedes, and her stance is defensive. "But I trust Clem! And, when she says she loves me," - the scowl finally gives some way, to a slight smile - "I know she means it. She always comes back, and she never keeps me from being me." 

Minerva's face twists into more contempt than ever before, and she lunges forward, a passionate ferocity in her step. Violet prepares for some form of sting, or stab, or pain, but it never reaches. 

Just as Minerva closes the distance, everything abruptly dissipates, as if blown away by a violent wind. The dark, maltreating clouds, the pale, raging soldier, and the very scene itself, are all swept into black. Faintly, the only sound Violet can register is the light kiss of skin against skin. 

Minutes pass like that, with little change. It's still dark, when she finally opens her eyes, but it's also warm. It's warm and full of gentle contact. 

She takes some time to come to her senses. It's only early morning. She's in Clem's arms. Aside from the occasional twitch, Clem is a surprisingly calm sleeper, when not plagued by nightmares. Violet tucks her head into her girlfriend's neck, always more grateful in moments such as these, knowing the comforts they bring. 

Clem stirs at the contact. With a grin, she sleepily kisses Violet's head, before falling right back to sleep. 

It's still dark, and if recent weather is any indication, it may still storm. But, even if only momentarily, this darkness is without the blood-red moon. Violet is reminded by that gentle grin - that the sun is rising, soon. 


End file.
